Application programs are currently available that allow a computer user to prepare a visual presentation, or a "slide show," comprised of a series images called "slides" that each contain text and/or graphics. Such application programs enable a user who is not a professional author or graphic design artist to design a professional-looking visual presentation that can accompany and enhance a verbal presentation, or that may stand on its own.
When a user prepares a document, such as a visual presentation, for others, the inclusion of instances of graphics that represent concepts addressed in the document can be a powerful communicative tool for conveying those concepts. Unfortunately, even when an extensive graphics library containing images and video sequences is available, a typical user is often unable to select instances of graphics that represent concepts that the user wishes to convey in the document. For example, while an experienced author might add an image of a tortoise to a slide containing a passage of text describing a slow-moving process in order to emphasize the concept of slowness expressed by the text, this process can be nonintuitive and inefficient for typical users.